Page 187 of The Demon's Pet

Now I knew it never would be.

As I sank in against him and let him hold me, murmuring as he stroked a hand through my hair, I knew I was in greater trouble than ever.

Because as much as I had tried never to get feelings, I was definitely in love with this man.

45

Sam spent the night with me in his arms, much to my surprise.

But in the morning, he was gone.

Orpheus had come at breakfast to give me the letter Sam left me, but I wasn’t ready to open it.

I wasn’t ready to acknowledge that he really had left and that things were over between us.

Still, life had to go on, so after breakfast, I went outside with Simon, Mor, and Griffin to keep training.

As I walked into the courtyard, the wind seemed to bite at my skin. Perhaps fall was ending soon.

I could still remember the smell of my haven in autumn. The crops. The grass. The apple cider.

The air here smelt like crisp nothingness with a tinge of ash.

Mor was wearing black leggings with an oversized tunic and flashed me a smile as I walked into the middle of the courtyard to meet her.

“How are you doing?” she asked, and I could see the hint of pity in her eyes.

I shrugged. “Ready to get started, I guess.” I was wearing a black tee shirt with ripped black jeans and combat boots.

Moody as hell and ready to fight.

“I have something for you.” Betty, who had been sitting on a rock wall by Simon, walked over to me, holding a shiny wooden box.

I took it from her gingerly and, when I opened it, saw a thin, silver necklace with a small red stone.

“Pure, natural brimstone. Nothing like the synthetics those celestials use. Nic brought it to me. It should suppress your light beams.”

I took it gingerly from the box, and Griffin walked over to help put it on me. I could feel his large fingers fumbling with the clasp, but he got it on.

Then he unclasped and handed me my old collar. I looked at it for a moment, studying the cracked brimstone.

I didn’t want to let it go.

Betty seemed to sense this and put her hand out. “If you’re attached to this, I can fix it. Even add extra suppression. I assumed you’d want something more subtle.”

“I should,” I admitted, turning over my old collar in my hand, unwilling to give it up yet.

I still remembered the day I’d been given it, the day I left the haven with Sam. It felt like my life had begun that day.

The stone no longer glowed any color, just a dark amber with a crack down the center.

Betty gently removed it from my hands. “I’ll take care of it. Repair it. Get it back to you.”

“But—”

She shook her head, gray hair bouncing. “I can see it means something to you. Objects are always more powerful when they have meaning to a person.” She raised a hand, muttering to herself as she jogged back to her workshop.

Simon stood and came over to where I was standing, peering at my new collar. “Looks nice.” He pointed to a field across the road from us. “Want to go see the creatures Sam had delivered from Zadis’s basement?”

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